Apparatus and method for recognizing image

ABSTRACT

A method for recognizing an image in an electronic device is provided so as to determine whether or not a specific object is actually within the presence of (immediate photographable vicinity) of the electronic device based on certain characteristics of one or more images of the specific object. Images of the specific object which is focused and shot at different magnifications are obtained. Characteristics of an object region and a background region between the obtained images are compared. Whether the object is real is determined depending on the comparison result. An apparatus hardware configured for operation of the method in electronic devices including but limited to mobile terminals.

CLAIM OF PRIORITY

This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) from aKorean patent application filed in the Korean Intellectual PropertyOffice on Apr. 26, 2012 and assigned Serial No. 10-2012-0043971, theentire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in itsentirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method forrecognizing an image.

2. Description of the Related Art

Nowadays, an electronic device, particularly, a portable electronicdevice has been developed to have various functions to meet user'sdesires. For example, a mobile communication terminal provides functionsfar beyond voice communication, and, for example, allows a user tolisten to various music using an MP3 sound source into basiccommunication functions such as texting with a counterpart user, andalso allows the user to enjoy web surfing using a wireless Internet,download various programs using the wireless Internet, and use the same.Also, the mobile communication terminal has at least one mega-pixelimage pick-up device (camera lens assembly) to allow the user to capturethe image of a desired specific object. More recently, portableterminals permit both recording and viewing a moving picture as well asa still image, more particularly, 3-dimensional image photographingfunction is generally distributed.

Recently, as a ubiquitous environment is being created for theelectronic devices such as mobile communication terminals, a technologythat can recognize a photo (image) of a specific object is widelydeveloped. More particularly, among these object recognitions, facerecognition is now being applied as one field of a plurality of livingbody recognitions. Face recognition by the electronic device denotes anoperation for recognizing facial features by analyzing a symmetricalstructure, an appearance of a face, hair, eye color, movement of afacial muscle, etc. Applications of face recognition can vary to a largedegree.

For example, the face recognition may be used for identificationpurposes in order to replace a passport, a credit card, etc., and may beused for security purposes such as time and attendance management, gatepass, password replacement, etc. Also, face recognition may be utilizedfor public safety purposes such as a suspected criminal search,crime-ridden district monitoring, etc. Furthermore, face recognition isapplied even to a smart phone application for amusement that can find asimilar figure resembling a user himself Therefore, the face recognitionfunction is convenient in that a user does not need to remember orpossess a something separately, such as a credit card or identificationcard, or card key, or some type of access code. Face recognition mayalso comprise only recognition of a portion of a person's face.

However, an electronic device in general typically captures the image ofa face in a two-dimensional image and performs face recognition usingthe captured image. The captured image is not a real face but a faceidentified in the picture/moving picture, but the face recognition isapplied to the captured image. This aspect of face recognition causesvulnerability for security purposes.

For example, in the case where a user encrypts and uses recognitioninformation regarding a specific face as an object, the user maydecipher a code by only capturing a picture of a relevant person, not aface that is being actually photographed. In other words, conventionalface recognition systems are vulnerable to someone positioning, forexample, a high-definition image of somebody else in front of a camerato fool the system into providing access to bank records, to make creditpurchases, or whatever systems are using face recognition rather thanpasswords, identification cards, etc.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An exemplary aspect of the present invention is to address at least someof the above-mentioned problems and/or disadvantages and to provide atleast the advantages described below. Accordingly, an exemplary aspectof the present invention provides a method and an apparatus forrecognizing an image, for improving recognition security of a specificobject.

Another exemplary aspect of the present invention provides a method andan apparatus for recognizing an image, and for identifying whether anobject that is being captured by a camera is an actual object or anobject in a picture/moving picture (i.e. taking a picture of a picture).

Still another exemplary aspect of the present invention provides amethod and an apparatus for recognizing an image, for identifyingwhether a person that is being photographed by a camera is an actualperson, or a person whose image has been captured from a picture/movingpicture.

Yet another exemplary aspect of the present invention is to provide amethod and an apparatus for recognizing a person, for selectivelyapplying person recognition to an image obtained by photographing anactual object, and not applying person recognition to a photograph of anobject in a picture/moving picture (i.e. taking a photo of apicture/moving picture).

In accordance with an exemplary aspect of the present invention, amethod for recognizing an image in an electronic device is provided. Themethod may include obtaining by a processing unit images of a specificobject which is focused and shot at different magnifications by a camerasubsystem, comparing by the processing unit in conjunction with a cameramodule characteristics of an object region and a background regionbetween the obtained images, and determining by the processing unitwhether the specific object is physically within the presence of thecamera subsystem and is not a copy or photo of the specific objectdepending on the comparison result.

In accordance with another exemplary aspect of the present invention, anelectronic device for recognizing an image is provided. The device mayinclude at least one processor configured for image recognition of aspecific object, a camera system coupled to the processor, a memory, andat least one module stored in the memory comprising machine executablecode that configured for execution of an image recognition applicationby the at least one processor, wherein the at least one processorconfigured by the at least one module obtains images of the specificobject which are focused and respectively shot at differentmagnifications from the camera system, compares characteristics of anobject region and a background region between the obtained images, anddetermines whether the specific object is physically within the presenceof the camera subsystem and is not a copy or photo of the specificobject depending on the comparison result.

Other exemplary aspects, advantages and salient features of the presentinvention will become apparent to those persons of ordinary skill in theart from the following detailed description, which, taken in conjunctionwith the annexed drawings, discloses exemplary embodiments of theinvention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other exemplary aspects, features and advantages ofcertain exemplary embodiments of the present invention will become moreapparent to the artisan from the following description taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device according toan exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method for operating an electronicdevice according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating step 203 of FIG. 2 identifyingwhether or not a person whose image has been captured is an actualperson in front of (i.e. in the presence of) the camera or a photo of aperson in a picture/moving picture according to an exemplary embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating step 203 of FIG. 2 identifyingwhether a person whose image has been captured is an actual person infront of the camera or a photo of a person in a picture/moving pictureaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating step 203 of FIG. 2 identifyingwhether a person whose image has been captured is an actual person infront of the camera or a photo of a person in a picture/moving pictureaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 6A, 6B, 6C and 6D are views illustrating exemplary operation of amethod for operating an electronic device according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present invention; and

FIGS. 7A, 7B, 7C and 7D are views illustrating exemplary operation of amethod for operating an electronic device according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present invention.

Throughout the drawings, like reference numerals will be understood torefer to like parts, components and structures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description with reference to the accompanying drawings isprovided to assist a person of ordinary skill in the art with acomprehensive understanding of exemplary embodiments of the invention asdefined by the claims and their equivalents. The description includesvarious specific details to assist in that understanding but these areto be regarded as merely exemplary. Accordingly, those of ordinary skillin the art will recognize that various changes and modifications of theexemplary embodiments described herein can be made without departingfrom the scope and spirit of the invention as defined by the appendedclaims. Also, descriptions of well-known functions and constructions maybe omitted for clarity and conciseness when their inclusion couldobscure appreciation of the invention by a person of ordinary skill inthe art with such well-known functions and constructions.

The terms and words used in the following description and claims are notlimited to their bibliographical meanings, but, are merely used by theinventor to enable a clear and consistent understanding of theinvention. Accordingly, it should be apparent to those skilled in theart that the following description of exemplary embodiments of thepresent invention are provided for illustration purposes only and notfor the purpose of limiting the invention as defined by the appendedclaims and their equivalents.

In describing the present invention, a mobile communication terminal isillustrated and a method and an apparatus for recognizing a face usingthe mobile communication terminal are described. However, the presentinvention is not limited thereto. For example, the present invention isapplicable to various electronic devices including at least one cameralens assembly (image pick-up device) for photographing an object.Furthermore, though the present invention describes face recognition ofa person in a shot image, a person of ordinary skill in the art shouldappreciate that the present invention is applicable to recognition ofvarious objects such as a thing, an animal, etc., as well as a person.

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide a method and anapparatus for recognizing an image (a live image rather than a pictureof a picture), for improving security in recognition of a person. Anexemplary embodiment of the present invention identifies whether aperson who is being shot by a camera is an actual person or a person ina picture/moving picture, and applies person recognition to an imageobtained by shooting an actual person. The present inventionadvantageously overcomes at least one vulnerability of conventionalfacial recognition systems, namely that one could arrange a high qualityphotograph of another person in front of the camera module and fool thefacial recognition system into permitting access to financial records,make purchases with linked credit and debit cards, etc.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device according toan exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The electronic device100 may be a portable electronic device, and may comprise a device suchas a portable terminal, a mobile phone, a mobile pad, a media player, atablet computer, a handheld computer, and a Personal Digital Assistant(PDA). Also, the electronic device may be an arbitrary electronic deviceincluding a device coupling two or more functions among these devices.It is also possible that the device could be, for example, device usedas part of a payment system, such as for credits card, debits, orchecks, or even a vending machine, where someone could try to use animage of someone else either to obtain access to personal information ormake fraudulent use of someone else's image to use their credit account,etc.

The electronic device 100 includes a memory 110, a processor unit 120, afirst wireless communication subsystem 130, a second wirelesscommunication subsystem 131, an external port 160, an audio subsystem150, a speaker 151, a microphone 152, an Input/Output subsystem (I/Osystem) 170, a touch screen 180, and a different input/control unit 190.A plurality of memories 110 and external ports 160 may be configured.

The processor unit 120 includes hardware such as a processor 122 ormicroprocessor, a memory interface 121, one or more processors 122, anda peripheral interface 123. The entire processor unit 120 may be alsocalled a controller or control unit, or processor. The memory interface121, the one or more processors 122 and/or the peripheral interface 123may be separate elements or may be integrated in one or more integratedcircuits.

The processor 122 executes various machine executable codes in order toperform various functions for the electronic device 100. In addition,the processor 122 performs processes and controls for voicecommunication, video communication, and data communication. In additionto these general functions, the processor 122 executes a specificsoftware module (instruction set) stored in the memory 110 that isloaded into the processor to configure the processor to perform variousspecific functions corresponding to the relevant module. In other words,the processor 122 performs a method of an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention in cooperation with software modules stored in thememory 110. The memory is a non-transitory memory.

The processor 122 may include one or more data processors, imageprocessors, and/or a CODEC. The electronic device 100 may also includethe data processors, the image processors, or the CODEC separately. Theperipheral interface 123 connects the I/O subsystem 170 of theelectronic device 100 and various peripheral devices to the processor122. Furthermore, the peripheral interface 123 connects the I/Osubsystem 170 of the electronic device 100 and various peripheraldevices to the memory 110 via the memory interface 121.

Particularly, according to the present invention, the processor 122controls a camera module 116 for recognizing an object. The cameramodule 116 is described below in more detail. Various elements of theelectronic device 100 may be coupled via one or more communication buses(reference numeral not shown) or stream lines (reference numeral notshown).

The external port 160 is used for directly connecting the electronicdevice 100 to other electronic devices or indirectly connecting theelectronic device 100 to other electronic devices via a network (forexample, the Internet, an Intranet, a wireless LAN, etc.) For example,the external port 160 may be a Universal Serial Bus (USB) or a FIREWIREport, etc. but is not limited thereto.

A movement (motion) sensor 191 and a light sensor 192 may be coupled tothe peripheral interface 123 to enable various functions. For example,the movement sensor 191 and the light sensor 192 may be coupled to theperipheral interface 123 to detect movement of the electronic device 100or detect external light.

A camera subsystem 193 may perform a camera function such as a take apicture, a video clip recording, etc. The light sensor 192 may be aCharged Coupled Device (CCD) or a Complementary Metal OxideSemiconductor (CMOS) device for the camera subsystem 193.

More particularly, according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention, the camera subsystem 193 can change the hardwareconfiguration, for example, by controlling the lens movement, F-numberof an aperture, etc. depending on the camera module 116 executed by theprocessor 122.

The first and second wireless communication subsystems 130 and 131enable communication. The first and second wireless communicationsubsystems 130 and 131 may include a Radio Frequency (RF) receiver andan RF transceiver and/or a light (for example, infrared) receiver and alight transceiver. While an antenna is shown for each, the artisanunderstands the claimed invention can include multiple antennas, such asan antenna array, or MIMO system. The first and second wirelesscommunication subsystems 130 and 131 may be classified depending on acommunication network. For example, the first and second wirelesscommunication subsystems 130 and 131 may be designed to operate via oneof a Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) network, an EnhancedData GSM Environment (EDGE) network, a Code Division Multiple Access(CDMA) network, a Wide-CDMA (W-CDMA) network, a Long Term Evolution(LTE) network, an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA)network, a Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) network, a WiMax network, and/or aBluetooth network, just to name some possible non-limiting examples.

The audio subsystem 150 may be coupled to a speaker 151 and a microphone152 to take charge of voice recognition, voice duplication, digitalrecording, and input/output of an audio such a communication function.In other words, the audio subsystem 150 communicates with a user via thespeaker 151 and the microphone 152. The audio subsystem 150 receives adata signal via the peripheral interface 123 of the processor unit 120,converts the received data signal to an electric signal, and providesthe converted electric signal to the speaker 151. The speaker 151converts the electric signal to a signal in an audible frequency bandand outputs the same. The microphone 152 converts a sound wavetransferred from a person or other sound sources to an electric signal.The audio subsystem 150 receives the electric signal from the microphone152, converts the received electric signal to an audio data signal, andtransmits the converted audio data signal to the peripheral interface123. The audio subsystem 150 may include, for example, an attachable anddetachable ear phone, a head phone, or a headset.

The I/O subsystem 170 may include a touchscreen controller 171 and/or adifferent input controller 172. The touchscreen 180 allows at least onetransformation of stretching, shrinking, warping, folding, twisting,bending, and unfolding. The touchscreen controller 171 is coupled to thetouchscreen 180 and controls an image output depending on transformationof the touchscreen 180. The touchscreen 180 and the touchscreencontroller 171 may further apply an arbitrary multi-touch detectiontechnology including other proximity sensor arrangements or otherelements as well as capacitive, resistive, infrared, and surfaceacoustic wave technologies. The different input controller 172 is acontroller, for example, for an input other than the touchscreen 180,and the different input controller 172 may be coupled to a differentinput/control unit 190. The different input/control unit 190 may includean up/down button for volume control. Besides, the differentinput/control unit 190 may include at least one of a push button, arocker button, a rocker switch, a thumb-wheel, a dial, a stick, and/or apointer device such as a stylus, etc. that provides a relevant function.

With continued reference to FIG. 1, the touchscreen 180 provides aninput/output interface between the electronic device 100 and a user. Forexample, the touchscreen 180 applies the touch detection technology,transfers the user's touch input to the electronic device 100, and showsvisual information (for example, text, graphics, video, etc.) providedfrom the electronic device 100 to the user.

The memory 110 is connected to the memory interface 121. The memory 110includes a high speed random access memory such as one or more magneticdisc storage devices and/or a non-volatile memory, one or more opticalstorage devices and/or a flash memory (for example, NAND, NOR).

The memory 110 stores machine executable code. For example, machineexecutable code includes an operating system module 111, a communicationmodule 112, a graphic module 113, a user interface module 114, a CODECmodule 115, a camera module 116, one or more application modules 117,etc. A terminology of a module may be expressed as a set of instructionsor an instruction set or a program, that are loaded into hardware suchas processors, microprocessor, or subprocessors that are configured tofunction according to the respective module.

The operation system 111 denotes a built-in operating system such asWINDOWS, LINUX, Darwin, RTXC, UNIX, OS X, or VxWorks, and includesvarious software elements for controlling a general system operation.This control of the general system operation includes memory managementand control, storage hardware (device) control and management, powercontrol and management, etc. Furthermore, this operating system softwareperforms a function for smoothing communication between varioushardwares (devices) and software elements (modules).

The communication module 112 can provide communication with counterpartelectronic devices such as a computer, a server and/or a portableterminal, etc. via the wireless communication subsystems 130, 131 or theexternal port 160.

The graphic module 113 includes various software elements comprisingmachine executable code for providing and displaying graphics on thetouchscreen 180. A terminology of graphics denotes text, a web page, anicon, a digital image, a video, animation, etc. There may be a dedicatedgraphic processor or subprocessor.

The user interface module 114 includes various software elementscomprising machine executable code related to a user interface.Furthermore, the user interface module 114 includes content as to howthe state of the user interface is changed and under what condition achange of a user interface state is performed, etc.

The CODEC module 115 includes a software element comprising machineexecutable code related to encoding and decoding of a video file.

The camera module 116 includes a camera-related software elementcomprising machine executable code for enabling camera-related processesand functions. Furthermore, according to an embodiment of the presentinvention, the camera module 116 may identify whether a specific objectin a shot image is an actual object or an object in a picture/movingpicture. More preferably, the camera module 116 may identify whether ora person in a captured image taken for application to person recognitionis an actual image of the person taken in front of the camera (i.e. “inthe presence of”, “in the immediate vicinity”) or a person in apicture/moving picture (a picture of a picture, or arranging a pictureof a person in front of the camera to fool the recognition system intodetermining someone permitted their image to be fraudulently used). Forexample, the camera module 116 may obtain a plurality ofmagnification-controlled images while focusing on a specific object, andidentify whether the object is an actual object or an object in apicture/moving picture based on the obtained images. More preferably,the camera module 116 may obtain a plurality of magnification-controlledimages while focusing on a specific person in the image, and identifywhether or not the image of the person is an actual person in front ofthe camera or an image of a person in a picture/moving picture based onthe obtained images. The camera module 116 may operate in conjunctionwith its own microprocessor or subprocessor coupled to the processorthat is configured for operation, or processor 122 may be loaded with(configured) for operation by the machine executable code of the cameramodule.

Hereinafter, though recognition of a specific person in an image shot bythe camera module 116 is described, a person of ordinary skill in theart should appreciate that the specific person may be replaced byvarious objects such as a thing, an animal, etc.

The camera module 116 may identify whether or not an image of a personis an actual person in front of the camera or a person in apicture/moving picture in following three ways.

First, the camera module 116 extracts “person regions” and “backgroundregions” from the images shot at the plurality of magnifications, andidentifies whether a contrast difference exists between the extractedperson regions and the extracted background regions. In the case wherethe contrast difference does not exist between the extracted personregions and background regions, the camera module 116 determines thatthe shot person is a person in a picture/moving picture. One reason isthat an actual image of a person in the person region and the actualimage of the background in the background region is that in the case ofa live person the foreground and background is three dimensional, thatis captured and shown as a two dimensional image in a picture.Therefore, items in the background of a live person would have adifferent contrast than photo of a photo (putting a photo in front of acamera, for example), as the photo is two dimensional, and the image ofthe two dimensional photo, if placed in front of a camera module, forexample, would not have the different contrast between foreground andbackground. In contrast, in the case where the contrast differenceexists between the extracted person regions and background regions, thecamera module 116 determines that the shot person is an actual person.

Second, the camera module 116 identifies whether or not a unique borderline (outline) of only a picture/moving picture is detected from atleast one of the images shot at the plurality of magnifications.Therefore, in the case where the border line (outline) of apicture/moving picture is detected from at least one of the images, thecamera module 116 determines that the shot person is a person in apicture/moving picture and not a live person. In contrast, in the casewhere the border line (outline) of a picture/moving picture is notdetected from at least one of the images, the camera module 116determines that the shot person is an actual person.

Third, the camera module 116 extracts a person region and a backgroundregion from the images shot at a plurality of magnifications, andidentifies whether a contrast difference exists between the extractedperson regions and background regions. Furthermore, the camera module116 identifies whether or not a border line (outline) of apicture/moving picture is detected from at least one of obtained images.In the case where the contrast difference does not exist between theperson regions and background regions and the border line (outline) of apicture/moving picture is detected from at least one of the images, thecamera module 116 determines that the person is a person in apicture/moving picture. Furthermore, in the case where the contrastdifference does not exist between the person regions and backgroundregions and the border line (outline) of a picture/moving picture is notdetected from at least one of the images, the camera module 116determines that the person is an actual person. Also, the camera module116 extracts person regions and background regions from images. In thecase where a contrast difference exists between the extracted personregions and background regions, the camera module 116 determines thatthe person is an actual person.

In case of determining that an image of person shot using theabove-described method is an actual person and not a picture of apicture, the camera module 116 extracts a person region (for example, afacial region) from at least one of the obtained images and applies aperson (face) recognition related function to the extracted personregion.

The application module 117 comprises a processor or subprocessor foroperation and includes a browser, an electronic mail, an instantmessage, word processing, keyboard emulation, an address book, a touchlist, a widget, Digital Right Management (DRM), voice recognition, voiceduplication, position determining function, location based service, etc.The memory 110 may further include an additional module (machineexecutable code) besides the above-described modules.

Also, various functions of the electronic device 100 according to thepresent invention may be executed by one or more stream processingsand/or hardware including an Application Specific Integrated Circuit(ASIC) and/or software and/or combination of these.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating exemplary operation of a method foroperating an electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment ofthe present invention.

Referring now to FIG. 2, the processor 122 (FIG. 1) executes the machineexecutable code of the camera module 116 and at least one other module.The processor 122 executes modules and controls the camera subsystem193.

At step (201), the camera module 116 focuses on a person and obtains afirst image captured at a first magnification, as well as a second imagecaptured at a second magnification. Depending on the camera module 116,the camera subsystem 193 regulates configuration thereof For example, incase of changing magnification, the camera subsystem 193 regulates anoptical zoom to achieve the respective magnification levels. The cameramodule 116 may extract a captured image region of a specific person forrecognition from the captured image. In the case where an image qualityof the extracted region is poor, the camera module 116 may regulate afocus of the camera subsystem 193 for a “person region” in order toraise the image quality.

Next, at step (203), the camera module 116 compares the obtained firstimage with the obtained second image to identify whether or not theperson is an actual person or a person in a picture/moving picture byextracting a person region and a background region excluding the personregion from a first image, and derives a first comparison characteristicbetween the extracted person region and the extracted background region.A method thereof is described below with reference to the drawings. Thefirst comparison characteristic may be at least one of contrast, a focallength, and sharpness. An artisan understands there are various ways ofcomparing contrast, focal length, and sharpness of an image.

After that, when determining that the shot (photographed) person is aperson in a picture/moving picture in step 203, the camera module 116enters step 209 to limit a person related function. In other words, anyaccess that requires image-based identification would be limited becausethe image must be a live image actually within the presence of theelectronic device, and not a photo in order to prevent fraud, identitytheft, etc. This person related function may be face recognition, motionrecognition, etc. In contrast, when determining that the person is not aperson in a picture/moving picture, that is, the person is an actualperson in step 203, the camera module 116 performs step 207 to apply theperson related function to at least one of the first image and thesecond image.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating step 203 of FIG. 2 identifyingwhether a person shot from images is an actual person or a person in apicture/moving picture according to an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention.

Referring now to FIG. 3, at step (221) the camera module 116 extracts aperson region including the person, and a background region excludingthe person region from a first image, and derives a first comparisoncharacteristic between the extracted person region and the extractedbackground region.

At step 223, the camera module 116 extracts a person region and abackground region excluding the person region from a second image andderives a second comparison characteristic between the extracted personregion and the extracted background region.

The first comparison characteristic and the second comparisoncharacteristic may be at least one of contrast, a focal length, andsharpness.

For example, when the first comparison characteristic and the secondcomparison characteristic comprises contrast, the contrast denotes adifference of a visual characteristic that enables a user todiscriminate between a foreground (person region) and a background(background region), and may be calculated as a numerical value.

Moreover, in the case where a shot object is not focused, the contrastof a relevant region is low.

In contrast, in the case where a shot object is focused, the contrast ofa relevant region is relatively high. In other words, a region wherecontrast is low is dim and a region where contrast is high is clear.Also, a method for extracting a person region and a background regionexcluding the person region from the first image and the second imagecan be practiced in various ways that are within the spirit and scope ofthe claimed invention.

For example, edge detecting may be used. Subsequently, at step (225),the camera module 116 determines whether the derived first comparisoncharacteristic and the derived second comparison characteristic coincidewith each other.

In the case where the first comparison characteristic and the secondcomparison characteristic coincide with each other, the camera module116 performs step 227 to determine that the shot person is not an actualperson. For example, in this case, the shot images may be a person in apicture/moving picture, and not an actual person. In contrast, in thecase where the first comparison characteristic and the second comparisoncharacteristic do not coincide with each other, the camera module 116performs step 229 to determine that the shot person is an actual person.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating more detail regarding step 203 ofFIG. 2 that identifies whether or not a person shot from images is anactual person or a person in a picture/moving picture according to anexemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring now to FIG. 4, the camera module 116 determines whether aborder line of a picture/moving picture is detected from at least one ofthe first image and the second image in step 231. A method for detectinga border line of a picture/moving picture from these images is various.For example, edge detecting may be used.

Subsequently at step (223), in the case where the border line of thepicture/moving picture is detected, the camera module 116 performs step235 to determine that the shot person is not an actual person but aperson in a picture/moving picture. In contrast, when the border line ofthe picture/moving picture is not detected, the camera module 116performs step 237 to determine that the shot person is an actual person.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating more detail regarding step 203 ofFIG. 2 identifying whether a person shot from images is an actual personor a person in a picture/moving picture according to another exemplaryembodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplaryembodiment that combines the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 3 and theexemplary embodiment of FIG. 4, and follows the procedure below.

Referring now to FIG. 5, at step (241), the camera module 116 extracts aperson region and a background region from the first image and derives afirst comparison characteristic between the extracted person region andthe extracted background region.

At step (243), the camera module 116 extracts a person region and abackground region from the second image and derives a second comparisoncharacteristic between the extracted person region and the extractedbackground region. The first comparison characteristic and the secondcomparison characteristic may be at least one of contrast, a focallength, and sharpness.

At step (245), the camera module 116 determines whether or not thederived first comparison characteristic and the derived secondcomparison characteristic coincide with each other.

At step (245), in the case where the first comparison characteristic andthe second comparison characteristic do not coincide with each other,the camera module 116 proceeds to step 251 to determine that the shotperson is an actual person.

In contrast, in the case at step (245) where the first comparisoncharacteristic and the second comparison characteristic do coincide witheach other, the camera module 116 then performs step 247 to determinewhether or not a border line of a picture/moving picture is detectedfrom at least one of the first image and the second image.

In the case at step (249) where the border line of the picture/movingpicture is detected, the camera module 116 performs step 253 todetermine that the shot person is a person in a picture/moving picture.

In contrast, in the case where the border line of the picture/movingpicture is not detected in step 249, the camera module 116 re-performsstep 201 of FIG. 2 again. For example, the camera module 116 changes aplace and requests a user to re-perform the steps of FIG. 2 again, andputs off to determine whether the shot person is an actual person or aperson in a picture/moving picture.

FIGS. 6A to 6D are views illustrating a method for operating anelectronic device according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention.

Referring now to FIG. 6A, the electronic device 100 focuses on an actualperson 61 and obtains a first image shot at a first magnification and asecond image shot at a second magnification. Referring to FIGS. 6B to6D, the electronic device 100 focuses on the person 61 at apredetermined basic magnification to obtain a first image shot at thefirst magnification, and focuses on the person 61 at a magnificationhigher than the basic magnification (camera zoom-in) to perform shootingor focuses on the person 61 at a magnification lower than the basicmagnification (camera zoom-out) to perform shooting to obtain a secondimage. Examination of the shot first image and the shot second imageshows that a person region 63 (FIG. 6B) where the person 61 has beenshot is clear but a background region 63 where a background 62 (FIG. 6A)positioned behind the person 61 has been shot is dim because even when amagnification changes, the person 61 is focused in response to thechanged magnification and shooting is performed.

In other words, in the case where an actual person 61 and the background62 are shot and the person 61 positioned at the foreground is focusedand shot, a contrast difference between person regions 63, 65, 67 andbackground regions 64, 66, 68 discriminated in a shot image isgenerated. In the case where a contrast difference between the personregion 63 and the background region 64 discriminated in a first imageand a contrast difference between the person regions 65, 67 and thebackground regions 66, 68 discriminated in a second image do notcoincide with each other, the electronic device 100 according to anembodiment of the present invention may determine that the shot person61 is an actual person.

In contrast, in the case where a contrast difference between the personregion 63 and the background region 64 discriminated in the first imageand a contrast difference between the person regions 65, 67 and thebackground regions 66, 68 discriminated in the second image coincidewith each other, the electronic device 100 may determine that the shotperson 61 is a person in a picture/moving picture.

FIGS. 7A to 7D are views illustrating a method for operating anelectronic device according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention.

Referring now to FIG. 7A, the electronic device 100 takes a picture 70in which a person 71 and a background 72 have been photographed. It isassumed that the person 71 in the picture 70 is clearer than thebackground 72. The electronic device 100 focuses on the person 71 in thepicture 70 to obtain a first image shot at a first magnification and asecond image shot at a second magnification. Referring to FIGS. 7B and7C, the electronic device 100 focuses on the person 71 in the picture 70and performs shooting at a first magnification (camera zoom-in) higherthan a predetermined basic magnification to obtain a first image, andfocuses on the person 71 in the picture 70 and performs shooting at amagnification (camera zoom-out) lower than the basic magnification toobtain a second image. Examination of the shot first image and the shotsecond image shows that person regions 74, 76 where the person 71 in thepicture 70 has been shot are clear but background regions 75, 77 wherethe background 72 in the picture 70 has been shot are dim. However, thecontrast of the person regions 74, 76 and the background regions 75, 77is constant because even when the person 71 in the picture 70 isfocused, the background 72 in the picture 70 is also focused.

Furthermore, referring to FIG. 7D, since the picture 70 has a borderline (outline), in case of shooting the picture 70 at an even lowermagnification (zoom-out), the electronic device 100 obtains an imagewhere the background behind the picture 70 as well as the picture 70 isshot. In this case, the electronic device 100 detects a region 78 wherea border line 73 of the picture 70 has been shot and determines that theshot person 71 is a person in the picture.

Methods according to exemplary embodiments described in claims and/orspecification of the present invention may be implemented in the form ofsoftware that configures hardware such as a microprocessor, processor,sub-processor, controller, etc., hardware, or a combination of these.

In case of implementation in the form of software configured hardware, acomputer readable storage medium storing one or more programs (softwaremodules) may be provided. The one or more programs stored in thecomputer readable storage medium are configured for execution by one ormore processors inside the electronic device. The one or more programsinclude instructions for allowing the electronic device to executemethods according to the embodiments described in claims and/orspecification of the present invention.

The above-described methods according to the present invention can beimplemented in hardware, firmware or as software or computer code thatcan be stored in a recording medium such as a CD ROM, an RAM, a floppydisk, a hard disk, or a magneto-optical disk or computer code downloadedover a network originally stored on a remote recording medium or anon-transitory machine readable medium and to be stored on a localrecording medium, so that the methods described herein can be loadedinto hardware such as a general purpose computer, or a special processoror in programmable or dedicated hardware, such as an ASIC or FPGA. Aswould be understood in the art, the computer, the processor,microprocessor controller or the programmable hardware include memorycomponents, e.g., RAM, ROM, Flash, etc. that may store or receivesoftware or computer code that when accessed and executed by thecomputer, processor or hardware implement the processing methodsdescribed herein. In addition, it would be recognized that when ageneral purpose computer accesses code for implementing the processingshown herein, the execution of the code transforms the general purposecomputer into a special purpose computer for executing the processingshown herein. In addition, an artisan understands and appreciates thatunder the broadest reasonable interpretation, a “processor” or“microprocessor” as well as “unit” constitute statutory subject mattercomprising hardware in compliance with 35 U.S.C. §101.

These programs (software modules, software) may be stored in a randomaccess memory, a non-volatile memory including a flash memory, Read OnlyMemory (ROM), an Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory(EEPROM), a magnetic disc storage device, a Compact Disc (CD)-ROM,Digital Versatile Discs (DVDs) or other types of optical storagedevices, and a magnetic cassette. Alternatively, these programs may bestored in a memory configured in a combination of some or all of these.Also, a plurality of respective memories may be provided.

Also, these programs may be stored in an attachable storage device thatcan access the electronic device via a communication network such as theInternet, Intranet, Local Area Network (LAN), Wide LAN (WLAN), and aStorage Area Network (SAN), or a communication network configured incombination of these. This storage device may access the electronicdevice via an external port.

Also, a separate storage device on a communication network may access aportable electronic device.

It is also within the spirit and scope of the claimed invention that acamera subsystem recording images of the object may be a separate entityfrom the process unit, and could, for example, communicate with theprocessing unit via wireless communication, or IP, etc. While theexamples have used an electronic device that is typically portable, theinvention is broad and the processing unit could be part of a securityserver and a portable electronic device with a camera module isattempting to purchase or access something requiring identification ofthe person seeking purchase or access.

Although the invention has been shown and described with reference tocertain exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by thoseskilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be madetherein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention asdefined by the appended claims and their equivalents. Therefore, thescope of the present invention should not be limited to theabove-described exemplary embodiments but should be determined by notonly the appended claims but also the equivalents thereof

Since the present invention can clearly identify whether an object thatis being shot by a camera is an actual object or an object in apicture/moving picture, safe security setting using this is possible.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for recognizing an image in anelectronic device, the method comprising: obtaining by processing unitimages of a specific object which is focused and shot at differentmagnifications by a camera subsystem; comparing by the processing unitin conjunction with a camera module characteristics of an object regionand a background region between the obtained images; and determining bythe processing unit whether the specific object is physically within thepresence of the camera subsystem and is not a copy or photo of thespecific object depending on the comparison result.
 2. The method ofclaim 1, wherein comparing the characteristics of the object region andthe background region between the obtained images comprises: obtaining afirst comparison characteristic between an object region and abackground region of a first image of the specific object; obtaining asecond comparison characteristic between an object region and abackground region of a second image of the specific object; andcomparing the first comparison characteristic of the first image withthe second comparison characteristic of the second image.
 3. The methodof claim 2, wherein determining whether the specific object isphysically within the presence of the camera subsystem and is not a copyor photo of the specific object depending on the comparison resultcomprises: when the first comparison characteristic between the objectregion and the background region of the first image and the secondcomparison characteristic between the object region and the backgroundregion of the second image do not coincide with each other, determiningthat the specific object is physically within the presence of the camerasubsystem and is not a copy or photo of the specific object.
 4. Themethod of claim 2, wherein determining whether the specific object isphysically within the presence of the camera subsystem and is not a copyor photo of the specific object depending on the comparison resultcomprises: when the first comparison characteristic between the objectregion and the background region of the first image and the secondcomparison characteristic between the object region and the backgroundregion of the second image coincide with each other, determining thatthe specific object is not physically within the presence of the camerasubsystem and is a copy or photo of the specific object.
 5. The methodof claim 1, wherein comparing the characteristics of the object regionand the background region between the obtained images comprisescomparing at least one of contrast, a focal length, and sharpness. 6.The method of claim 1, further comprising, when a unique border line(outline) of a picture/moving picture is detected from at least one ofthe obtained images, determining that the specific object is notphysically within the presence of the camera subsystem and is a copy orphoto of the specific object.
 7. The method of claim 4, furthercomprising: when determining that the specific object is not physicallywithin the presence of the camera subsystem and is a copy or photo ofthe specific object, outputting a message on the display of theelectronic device that access of predetermined data is denied becausethe specific object cannot be verified.
 8. The method of claim 4,further comprising: when determining that the specific object is notphysically within the presence of the camera subsystem and is a copy orphoto of the specific object , outputting a message on the display ofthe electronic device that an electronic purchase is denied because thespecific object cannot be verified.
 9. The method of claim 8, whereinthe electronic purchase comprises content that can be used by theelectronic device.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the contentcomprises one or more of multimedia content or applications for theelectronic device.
 11. The method of claim 1, further comprising: whendetermining that the specific object is physically within the presenceof the camera subsystem and is not a copy or photo of the specificobject, applying an object recognition function to at least one of theobtained images; and when determining that the specific object is notphysically within the presence of the camera subsystem and is a copy orphoto of the specific object, not allowing application of the objectrecognition function to at least one of the obtained images.
 12. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the specific object comprises at least aportion of a person's face.
 13. An electronic device for recognizing animage, the device comprising: at least one processor configured forimage recognition of a specific object; a camera system coupled to theprocessor; a memory; and at least one module stored in the memorycomprising machine executable code that is configured for execution ofan image recognition application by the at least one processor, whereinthe at least one processor configured by the at least one module obtainsimages of the specific object which are focused and respectively shot atdifferent magnifications from the camera system, comparescharacteristics of an object region and a background region between theobtained images, and determines whether the specific object isphysically within the presence of the camera subsystem and is not a copyor photo of the specific object depending on the comparison result. 14.The device of claim 13, wherein the module compares a first comparisoncharacteristic obtained between an object region and a background regionof a first image with a second comparison characteristic obtainedbetween an object region and a background region of a second image. 15.The device of claim 14, wherein when the first comparison characteristicbetween the object region and the background region of the first imageand the second comparison characteristic between the object region andthe background region of the second image do not coincide with eachother, the module determines that the specific object is physicallywithin the presence of the camera subsystem and is not a copy or photoof the specific object.
 16. The device of claim 14, wherein when thefirst comparison characteristic between the object region and thebackground region of the first image and the second comparisoncharacteristic between the object region and the background region ofthe second image coincide with each other, the module determines thatthe specific object is not physically within the presence of the camerasubsystem and is a copy or photo of the specific object.
 17. The deviceof claim 13, wherein when comparing the characteristics of the objectregion and the background region between the obtained images, the atleast one processor compares at least one of contrast, a focal length,and sharpness.
 18. The device of claim 13, wherein when a unique borderline (outline) of a picture/moving picture is detected from at least oneof the obtained images, the module determines that the specific objectis not physically within the presence of the camera subsystem and is acopy or photo of the specific object.
 19. The device of claim 13,wherein when determining that the specific object is physically withinthe presence of the camera subsystem and is not a copy or photo of thespecific object, the module allows to apply an object recognitionfunction to at least one of the obtained images, and when determiningthat the specific object is not physically within the presence of thecamera subsystem and is a copy or photo of the specific object, themodule does not allow application of the object recognition function toat least one of the obtained images.
 20. The device of claim 13, whereinthe specific object comprises at least a portion of a person's face.